SUWANNEE COUNTY, Fla. – Hurricane Helene caused an estimated $1.7 billion in agricultural losses across Florida last year, according to officials with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
For farmers like Adam Sharer, who owns Three Rivers Plantation in Suwannee County, the impacts were devastating. Sharer lost a decades-old pecan tree that once produced up to 50 pounds a year.
“So this tree was a complete loss. It’s dead, came up from the roots. There’s no regrowing happening here,” Sharer said. “A tree that age, that size, it’s hard to put a value on it, but basically if you consider the historic production, it’s about a $2,000 tree.”
Suwannee County was the hardest hit during Helene, said Christa Court, director of UF/IFAS’ Economic Impact Analysis Program.
“In this case, Suwannee was hit with the most intense conditions when we sum up that wind precipitation and flooding,” Court said.
Now, with another storm forming in the Caribbean during peak pecan harvest season, farmers like Sharer are preparing. He has stored 300 gallons of water for livestock in case power outages disable wells.
A pecan tree can take 20 to 25 years to reach full potential. Sharer said he hopes not to face further losses.